What do I need to repair the rear bumper and.

What do I need to repair the rear bumper and rear passenger tail light? It was damaged in a fire and rear corner bumper and rear tail light burned and melted.

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Thursday, February 28th, 2013 AT 1:39 AM

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BLUELIGHTNIN6

EXPERT

Greetings

The biggest risk in reparing fire damaged vehicles is the possibility of wire damage. The smallest damage to wiring could cause a short in an entire circuit. Before installing any new parts you will want to inspect all of the wiring in the vicinity. Once the wiring has been checked and, if needed, repaired you can move on to the bumper cover. These are relatively easy to replace as there are only a few bolts attaching them. Raise and support the vehicle for easier access. First remove the tail lamp assemblies. You can reach the mounting bolts for the tail lamps by raising the trunk and removing any trim / carpet covering the area. Once the tail lamps are removed you can unbolt the fasteners underneath the rear bumper that attach the top of the bumper cover to the rest of the vehicle.

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Thursday, February 28th, 2013 AT 1:52 AM

KAMELIA1022

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Thanks, is this expensive? Approximately does this usually cost at a repair shop

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Thursday, February 28th, 2013 AT 1:57 AM

BLUELIGHTNIN6

EXPERT

The average labor cost in the US is approximately $75 an hour and a new bumper cover and one new tail lamp will cost approximately $250, bumper not painted. For cost efficiency, I would suggest purchasing a used bumper and taillamp assembly from a junkyard (or sites like ebay). If you can find a bumper that is already painted the same color it will save you a lot of labor expense. You may want to contact your auto insurance company to see if fire damage is covered on your policy as a $500 or even $1,000 deductible will likely be cheaper than paying labor and parts all out of pocket. For the most accurate quote I would suggest contacting a few local garages over the phone, tell them the details and ask for a free repair quote including labor and parts both. Make sure they are ASE certified and do not pay for a quote, these should be free at any reputable repair shop.